Broken
by Saya-Kururugi
Summary: Kisame reflects back on his relationship with Itachi, as well as on another Uchiha with a more peculiar role in his life. KisaIta, ShisuIta, KisaShisu. Not necessarily yaoi.


"Why are you doing this?"

The boy, Kisame's 'assignment,' stared at him silently, without a hint of remorse in his cold dark eyes.

"He deserved it." The young teen answered simply.

"He's ten years old!" Kisame snapped.

Shisui was thirteen, only a few years younger than Kisame. However, he reasoned like a child, and had a criminal mind more devious than most adults, even ones in Akatsuki. It was a bad combination.

"It was only once." He shrugged.

"Liar! You think anyone would believe you?" Kisame shouted. "I've seen the bruises on his arms. You're lucky I never put two and two together before!"

Minutes earlier, Kisame had walked into the storage shed his delinquent target used as a hideout to find him standing in the center of the room with a knife. His ten year old cousin Itachi was in a heap at his feet, covered with cuts and bruises. His blood soaked the floor and the pale pink dress he had obviously been forced to wear. It had been the last straw.

After ensuring the child hadn't died and sending him away, he had turned to confront Shisui.

"It's the first time. You can't prove it isn't." Shisui stated calmly.

"If you touch that kid again I'll fucking _kill_ you."

Shisui froze. All the times Kisame had disapproved of his actions, he still had never said something like that. Shisui took a shallow breath and sank back against the wall. His eyes narrowed at the older boy, suddenly wary of previously unknown dangers.

"You wouldn't _dare_." he said, just a hint of unease in his voice. "You need me."

"I don't Akatsuki will still want you when they find out how you treat someone so devoted to you." Kisame said, his temper reigned in by the boy's fear. He was beginning to doubt that he was capable of the act. Maybe Shisui would stop. He only had a few years left, since four years observance had been ordered. If Shisui could leave the kid alone until then, Kisame wouldn't have to kill him. And if he couldn't...

"Especially if you have a replacement, eh?" Shisui whispered. "You want to take Itachi instead. You can't have him. He's mine!"

Kisame stared at him, concealing his surprise. He should have known not to expect anything from the little deviant. His mind worked in weird ways. Kisame just wanted to save the little brat. But now...

"You can't stop me if you're dead." Kisame pointed out.

"_You can't have Itachi_. Take his brother."

"He'll be too young. In three years Sasuke will be seven, Itachi will be your age, and you'll be dead."

"I don't care about that! You can't have him!" Shisui shouted.

"Do you really care about him?" Kisame asked.

"Yes!"

Affection showed itself in strange ways. But could it keep the kid safe?

"Then don't touch him again. Leave him alone."

Shisui nodded silently. Kisame turned around and walked out of the room. He paused in the doorway and looked back over his shoulder.

"Oh, and Shisui?" He said. The boy said nothing. "Was the dress really necessary?"

For the first time, the defiant look on Shisui's face was replaced with shame. He stared down at his feet. "No..." he mumbled.

But he couldn't bring himself to change apparently, because three years later he was standing in the moonlight with his back to a river, facing Kisame, who had a cold look on his face and his Samehada sword in his hand.

"I warned you." Kisame said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Shisui whispered.

"Say sorry to him. Might want to say goodbye, while you're at it."

"Please don't take him."

"You can write him a letter. Have you forgotten I'm about to kill you?"

"You were my friend..."

"No." Kisame said with such finality that the frightened boy winced. "You had one friend in the whole world, and it wasn't me."

Shisui's eyes widened for a second, then his face relaxed.

"I want to say goodbye." he pleaded.

"You can write a letter. I trust you not to blow our cover."

Shisui took the pencil and paper Kisame offered and wrote, hesitating when he finished before signing his name. Kisame read it over quickly and place it on the ground.

"What now?" Shisui asked calmly. His apology was made, his mind was made. He would go with Kisame's decision regardless of the consequences.

"Now?" Kisame said, dropping Samehada to the grass. "_Now_ you die."

He shoved him backwards into the water.

The boy didn't even struggle.

Kisame knew he would spend most of the next few years watching and protecting Itachi, although even he couldn't see how close they would become. He started immediately.

So, he saw Itachi crying in his room all night while his father and teammates were at the most important meeting of the boy's life.

He was there the next morning when the police came to question him about Shisui's 'suicide'; was there watching as the boy dropped to his knees, new Mangyekyou reeling with the information that even if he hadn't killed his cousin, Shisui's death was caused by him.

And he experienced all too well the heartbreak in the prodigy's eyes days later as he mercilessly slaughtered every member of his family, save for two, one who was already dead.

And it was he who approached the boy, childhood shattered but still so fragile, as he snuck out of the village with no money, no possessions, and no clue how to survive away from home. It was easy enough for the boy to accept him. He had a crystal clear memory.

"You were Shisui's friend." the stoic boy said. "I remember you; you helped me once."

"We weren't friends." Kisame clarified. He couldn't let that mistake stand.

"Do you know how he died?" Itachi asked, hope in his eyes.

"Don't think about it." Kisame said. Itachi looked up at him in shock. "It was suicide, kiddo. He drowned."

Itachi's wary look was replaced with sorrow. Kisame winced.

"It's not your fault, kiddo. Don't blame yourself." he said kindly.

But his Mangyekyou didn't disappear. All the kindness in the world couldn't wash the blood from his hands. Still...

"Don't call me _'kiddo'_." the boy said. "I don't like it."

Kisame grinned, knowing Itachi would never forget this.

"Well, you'll deal with it 'til you grow up." he said, not flinching at the boy's rage. For once, he needed to be treated like a child. "You're still a brat."

Itachi grudgingly allowed this, seething yet allowing himself to be led through the dense forest.

He had a lot to be taught. Kisame's first lesson for him was simple and direct:

"This is my sword, Samehada. Don't touch it."

His next lesson would be harder, and would take years to learn. It was the code of the ninja, and the boy would need help. Despite his emotionless facade, the merest breath of wind caused him unbearable pain. This Kisame knew. This Kisame would try to fix.

Eight years later, and it had all come undone. Kisame stared sadly at the boy who replaced his late partner. Itachi's younger was barely as old as Shisui had been at his death, and he was just as weak.

_But he killed him--killed--he's dead--Itachi's dead!_

No. Kisame couldn't--wouldn't think of that.

He couldn't help it. Sasuke, the person Itachi loved the most after Shisui; the two people Itachi hadn't killed; the two people he had _loved_.

_Destroyed--his own brother killed him._

And it had been Itachi's plan. His scheduled death. He blamed himself for Shisui.

Kisame hated him, this... this _gaki_ who had killed someone Kisame vowed to protect, even despite all that love. But, Kisame wouldn't hurt the brat. Itachi loved him, the same way Kisame loved Itachi. The same way, unwillingly, he had once loved Shisui. But that hadn't lasted long; only until someone kinder, helpless, and who needed him more came along, only to be hurt by the one Sasuke so reminded Kisame of.

Kisame wouldn't raise a hand against the boy--or for him. Eventually the fox kid would kill him, and Kisame wouldn't shed a tear. Not after he had seen Itachi crying in the rain for his lost brother. Not after returning to Konoha and seeing those hostile eyes. Maybe once. Maybe when the traitor was still a child; still an innocent fly caught in a spider's web. Not now.

He had no love, no respect, for this boy or the grave robber walking beside him, especially when it became clear that the latter had no plans to respect lesson #1.

"Shut up, Suigetsu." Sasuke muttered in response to something the grave robber said. Then, to Kisame: "Are you helping us destroy Konoha?"

Kisame was caught between revenge on the oppressive leaders that had denied his partner happiness and the desire to protect something else Itachi had cared about. Finally common sense won over both.

"I think I'll sit it out. It's got nothing to do with me." A lie, but an easy one. The boy wouldn't care to doubt him.

"Fine with me. Come on, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu lingered, doubtfully looking back at Kisame. So what. He would never find out.

There would be another war, and innocent people would die.

Kisame would be far away.

~-~ ~-~ ~-~ ~-~ ~-~ ~-~ ~-~ ~-~

(A/N) I don't believe Itachi killed Shisui. I dont think he was capable of it. He most likely was just taking a night off to cry in his room. Shisui's death really might have been suicide. Or, this happened. It's more likely than Itachi killing him.


End file.
